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If you LOVE books...I interview new & established authors to find out the
author's story (SO fun to get to know them) & the story behind their book.
AACB is Celebrating National Poetry MonthApril is national poetry month and we're celebrating all our incredibly talented Canadian poets. I feel privileged to have had four of them join me for the second annual reading to mark the occasion. May I introduce my lovely co-host Hollay Ghadery and Courtney Bates-Hardy, Patrick Grace, and Ellen Chang-Richardson who read from their latest collections and shared the inspiration behind their poems. I am in awe and I LOVED hearing their stories. Enjoy! More About Our PoetsHollay Ghadery lives in Ontario. Fuse, her memoir, (Guernica Editions) won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press (2023). Her short stories, Widow Fantasies, are forthcoming with Gordon Hill. Hollay is the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Hollay read "The Zeignarik Effect," from Rebellion Box. Courtney Bates-Hardy is the author of Anatomical Venus (Radiant Press, 2024), House of Mystery (ChiZine Publications, 2016), and a chapbook, Sea Foam (JackPine Press, 2013). Her poems have been featured in Best Canadian Poetry, Vallum, and EVENT, among others. She is queer, disabled, and one-third of a writing group called The Pain Poets. Courtney read "The Lady Anatomist" from Anatomical Venus. Patrick Grace is an author and teacher from Vancouver, BC. He has published two chapbooks: a blurred wind swirls back for you (2023) and Dastardly (2021), and his first full-length collection, Deviant, is out now with University of Alberta Press. He moonlights as managing editor for Plenitude Magazine. Follow him on IG: @thepoetpatrick. Patrick read "A Cone of Light," from Deviant. Ellen Chang-Richardson is an award-winning poet of Taiwanese and Chinese Cambodian descent. The author of Blood Belies (Wolsak & Wynn, 2024) and six poetry chapbooks, their multi-genre writing has been published in Augur, Room and Vallum, among others. They co-founded Riverbed Reading Series and write collaboratively with the poetry collective VII.
Ellen read "courtyard acupuncture" from Blood Belies.
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The Story Behind ZULAIKHAIn this segment of AACB author Niloufar-Lily Soltani tells us THE STORY BEHIND her debut novel Zulaikha, (Inanna Publications, 2023). Niloufar-Lily Soltani (Lily) is a fiction writer, poet and translator based in Vancouver. She is a graduate of the Humber College creative writing program. Zulaikha is her debut novel. To watch MORE segments with Lily, purchase Zulaikha and for other authors
Get To Know Author Lucy EM BlackBehind every book is a talented writer and a great story and so let’s get to know both. In this segment we'll GET TO KNOW Lucy EM Black, the author of The Marzipan Fruit Basket, Eleanor Courtown, Stella’s Carpet, and The Brickworks. Her short stories have been published in Britain, Ireland, USA and Canada in literary journals and magazines. She lives in Port Perry, Ontario, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island, First Nations. AACB is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg people. For more author interviews and to watch MORE segments with Lucy
Get To Know Christine Miskonoodinkwe SmithChristine Miskonoodinkwe Smith is the editor of Silence to Strength: Writings and Reflections on the Sixties Scoop which was published by Kegedonce Press and today we're going to get to know her. Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith is a Saulteaux woman from Peguis First Nation. She is an editor, writer and journalist who graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Aboriginal Studies in June 2011 and went on to receive her Master’s in Education in Social Justice in June 2017. Her first non-fiction story “Choosing the Path to Healing” appeared in the 2006 anthology Growing Up Girl: An Anthology of Voices from Marginalized Spaces. She has written for the Native Canadian, Anishinabek News, Windspeaker, FNH Magazine, New Tribe Magazine, Muskrat Magazine and the Piker Press. She has also co-edited the anthology Bawaajigan with fellow Indigenous writer Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler. The Story Behind Silence to StrengthFrom the 1960s through the 1980s the Canadian Children’s Aid Society engaged in a large-scale program of taking First Nations children from their families and communities and adopting them out to non-Indigenous families. This systemic abduction of untold thousands of children came to be known as the Sixties Scoop. Stories of the intergenerational disruption from loss of family and culture are shared in this collection, as are stories of strength and survivance. In Silence to Strength: Writings and Reflections on the 60s Scoop, editor Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith gathers together contributions from seventeen Sixties Scoop survivors from across the territories of Canada. These courageous writings show there is strength in telling story, and power in ending the silences of the past. The contributors to Silence to Strength are: Anna Croxen, Vonda Knipfel, Shaun LaDue, Alice McKay, Denise Mcleod, Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith, David Mortimer, Arlene Noskye, Karen Orser, Doreen Parenteau, Shane Pement, Tyler Pennock, Cathy Phannenhour, Elizabeth Redsky, Terry Swan, Melissa Thomas (Sigvaldason), and Lisa Wilder. Watch Christine discuss this incredible book that EVERY Canadian should read. I was very moved by these courageous survivor stories. The stunning cover is by George Littlechild.
Miigwetch Christine. It was an honour to speak with you. Miigwetch, thank you for watching. Let's Get To Know Ernie LouttitErnie Louttit is a retired soldier and police officer, and has written three books, Indian Ernie: Perspectives on Leadership and Policing, More Indian Ernie, Insights from the Streets, and The Unexpected Cop: Indian Ernie on a Life of Leadership. Winner of the Saskatchewan Book Award in 2014 and the Reveal Indigenous Arts Award in 2017. He's also a speaker and changemaker who lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Pine Bugs and .303s is his debut novel. The Story Behind Pine Bugs and .303sThe interview continues with Ernie discussing his recovery from post traumatic stress syndrome, how his Grandfather, a train ride, the strong women close to his heart, his career as a soldier and a police officer (35 years) influenced his novel. After World War II has ended, two soldiers united by conflict return to their small northern Ontario town to try and restart their lives. But for Elmer Wabason, a Cree man, and Gilbert Bertrand, a white man, this won’t be so easy. Maintaining their friendships and families forces a familiar challenge but also brings new obstacles they never anticipated. A fast-paced story about deep bonds and deeper desperation, Elmer, Gilbert, and their families will have to endure disaster, deceit, racism, crime, and corruption to overcome the odds and secure the future of their town. The search for justice might be enduring but Pine Bugs and .303s demonstrates the possibilities when people unite and fight for justice. I LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down. I think it would be an excellent series on Netflix! And....to find out about the pine bugs you have to read his novel! Miigwetch Ernie! Miigwetch, thank you for watching.
Get To Know Gail Kirkpatrick So lovely to get to know Gail Kirkpatrick, the author of Sleepers and Ties, which was published by NON (Now Or Never Publishing). Gail Kirkpatrick lives and writes in beautiful Victoria, BC. She has worked as a freelance writer, government policy analyst and adjudicator, and as a researcher profiling innovators and scientists. Gail is a woman on the move, she surfs, cold water plunges, hikes. Watch her tell us all about it! The Story Behind Sleepers and TiesSome wills ask the executor to make sure a favourite niece gets a particular necklace or that a pet be sent to live with a friend. Margaret’s sister has asked her to rebuild an abandoned railway line. Can you imagine? Gail did. She discusses what inspired her debut novel Sleepers and Ties and how her book came together. Susan Swan Provides A Behind the Scenes Peak at this Inaugural Literary AwardWelcome! Today's AACB guest is award-winning Toronto author and co-founder of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, Susan Swan. And Susan is on a mission to uplift women and non-binary writer’s voices. Let's find out more, but before we do Susan shares some lovely memories about the beloved award-winning American-Canadian writer Carol Shields. Watch the Full InterviewTo find our more about this THRILLING new literary award that celebrates Canadian and U.S. women and non-binary writers creativity and excellence in fiction, and to check out all the fabulous authors and of course the winner Fatimah Asghar for When We Were Sisters A HUGE congrats to Fatimah, all the finalists, to Susan and all the women who made this prestigious award happen. Yay!
For more author interviews Logan's Back!I had the privilege of interviewing Canadian author Logan Macnair back in September 2020. Logan was one of my very first guests--6th to be exact and we discussed his debut novel Panegyric. Now Logan is back to discuss his second novel Troll. Troll explores the nature of connection, alienation, and the occasional ugliness of the modern digital age. When aspiring actor Peter Riley is given the assignment in his drama class to perform in a YouTube-style video, he creates the character of ‘Petrol Riley,’ a satire of a politically extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist. Peter is soon surprised to learn that the video he has uploaded has gone unexpectedly viral, with thousands of viewers misinterpreting his satirical performance as genuine. Seeing this as his path toward fame, Peter commits to portraying the hatemongering character of Petrol full-time, building a devout and rabid fanbase of online supporters that only grow more loyal and extreme the more hateful Petrol’s rhetoric becomes. As his reach grows, Peter must reconcile with his notoriety and decide whether this newfound fame is worth the influence he is having on his legions of impressionable online admirers. Striking and timely, Troll offers a meditation and authentic critique on the unique conditions and occasional ugliness of modern online communication. Logan Macnair (PhD)is a college professor and novelist based out of Burnaby, BC. and his academic research is primarily focused on the online narrative, recruitment, and propaganda campaigns of various political extremist movements. I couldn't put Troll down. I feel like Logan introduced me to a world I know very little about but should know about. My heart goes out to all those online and off who feel disconnected.
A HUGE thank you to Logan. Thanks SO much for watching. For more fabulous author interviews, you can find all about canadian books on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe (PLEASE). Click on that great big button below and it'll take you there. Let's Celebrate Canadian PoetsApril is National Poetry Month and to celebrate all about canadian books is having its VERY first poetry reading. Yay! I'm thrilled to have three talented poets as guests: Jake Bryne is a writer based in Tka:ronto/Toronto. Their poem "Parallel Volumes" won CV2's Foster Prize for Poetry in 2019. Their debut book of poems, Celebrate Pride with Lockheed Martin, published by Wolsak & Wynn, is available now wherever books of Canadian poetry are sold. Their second book, DADDY, is forthcoming with Brick Books in 2024. Hollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in rural Ontario on Anishinaabe land. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental illness, was published by Guernica Editions’ MiroLand imprint in 2021. Her debut collection of poetry, Rebellion Box, is due out with Radiant Press in April 2023. Hollay's short-fiction collection, Widow Fantasies, is scheduled for release with Gordon Hill Press in 2024. Melannie Monoceros is currently based in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, MB), m. patchwork monoceros is a poet and interdisciplinary artist exploring polysensory creation and somatic grief. Engaging poetry, memoir, textiles, and film, their work considers a collective qrip (queer+crip) consciousness by connecting to marvelous bodies living with complexity as sick or disabled. I am situated on the traditional land of the Anishnaabeg people. Jake Bryne read "The Sun Has Never Looked So Large," from Celebrate Pride with Lockheed Martin. You left me speechless, Jake! Hollay Ghadery read "Postcard, Santa Maria," from Rebellion Box. Oh my heart, I can so relate to this. You're gorgeous, Hollay! Melannie Monoceros read, "Routine" from Remedies for Chiron. OMG!!!!!! I was SO emotional. Melannie touched me deeply. Thanks SO much for watching. A HUGE thank you to Jake Bryne, Hollay Ghadery and Melannie Monoceros.
For more fabulous author interviews, you can find all about canadian books on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe (PLEASE). Click on that great big button below and it'll take you there. Let's Get To Know Author Jess KotzerIt's a VERY special all about canadian books episode because it's all about Barrie. Barrie is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg people. As a Barrie girl, I was thrilled to host an all about canadian books virtual event specially for Editors Barrie, featuring local author and collaboration specialist Jess Kotzer. In this episode, not only will you get to know Jess, I'll also share how this program began (hint pandemic project). Jess Kotzer is a writer whose experience with Lyme disease inspired her to publish It's Not Just Lyme (under the pen name Yessi Young). Her journey has taught her the importance of collaboration as a means for sustainable and enjoyable audience growth, and she's become an advocate for working with professionals like editors to create books that truly resonate with readers. The Story Behind The BookJess discusses her journey with Lyme disease, how It's Not Just Lyme: Understanding the Metabolism's Role in Fighting Chronic Infections came together, what she did to sell 5,000 copies and the POWER of collaborating with other authors. Thanks SO much for watching. A HUGE thank you to Jess. And a HUGE thank you to Editors Barrie. And a special thanks to JJ Wilson who was my editor for both Beauty Beneath the Banyan and Tears from the Sea.
Working with an editor is more than fixing your grammar. It also gives you the confidence to submit your work to publishers knowing that your manuscript is polished. Publishing is a VERY competitive industry working with an editor before you begin the query process isn't a bonus it's a MUST if you want to be published. Stay tuned for new episodes, they're posted on Tuesday's and Thursday's, the 2nd and 4th week of every month. For more fabulous author interviews, you can find all about canadian books on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe (PLEASE). Click on that great big button below and it'll take you there. |
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